Advising a talent manager "in a totally ad hoc fashion" that his role was becoming redundant "only served to further destabilise his already unstable mental state", a commission has found in a psychological injury dispute.
An employer decided to make an employee's role redundant three months before it consulted with her, the Fair Work Commission has found, in ordering it to pay $19k for unfair dismissal.
General protections breaches "should never be treated as an acceptable risk of doing business", a Federal Circuit Court judge has stressed, in awarding about $90k to "a most difficult and challenging employee".
Too many organisations are undermining their future workforce capability by making staff cuts that are too deep, or simply not strategic, according to a leading HR advisor.
A full Federal Court ruling affirms there's a low threshold for what triggers the corporate whistleblower regime, and workplace lawyers say it provides "authoritative guidance" on how employers can discharge their reverse onus of proof.
Organisations making urgent lay-offs must still comply with their consultation requirements, the Fair Work Commission has highlighted, in rejecting that an employer had no time to consult before making a role redundant.
Even if it's impossible for an employer to change a decision about planned redundancies, it must comply with its consultation obligations, a workplace lawyer says. Meanwhile, an enterprise bargaining specialist says it's never been more crucial for employers to have skilled negotiators at the table.
A people and culture team "singularly failed" to meet with an employee in a timely manner to discuss his redeployment opportunities, meaning his redundancy wasn't genuine, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
Employers are now firmly on notice that when they're considering a major workplace change, they need to assess the risk of psychosocial hazards potentially arising from it, a lawyer says.
All employers should consider putting in place a workplace s-xual harassment prevention plan, even though such plans are only expressly prescribed in one jurisdiction, according to a risk management expert.
Recent events have shone a spotlight on whistleblowing, placing employers firmly on notice that their response to a protected disclosure could be subject to intense scrutiny. Watch this webcast to understand the role HR plays in this challenging space.
